What's up, up here? Feb. 13-19 | News snippets from here and there

February 13, 2014

VC racers plow down the race course in the first race of 2014. The next raceis Tuesday, Feb. 18. Photo/Susan Morning

It’s official! Dr. Mike Karch announced this week that the Mammoth Lakes Biathlon for 2014 will be March 21-23 with more details to emerge in the coming weeks. So get your cross country skis and biathlon rifles out and start practicing! Ski fast, shoot straight! …

The second installment of Elizabeth Tenney’s Eastside Flash Talks on Tuesday was a smash hit. Amid those in attendance were Stacy Corless, Deb Pierrel, Larry Johnston, Kevin Green, David Page, Kristin Broumas, Gabriela Vojasova, Lynne Blanche (for her birthday!), Dan Watson, Erica and Jeff Sutch, Andrea Williamson, Judy and Michael Bornfeld, Jack and Kathy Copeland, Camille Miller, Betsy Truax, Juliana Olinka, Thomas Greene, Dale Apgar, Lisa Isaacs, Rebecca Garrett, among many, many others. We tip our hats to all of the speakers, as well. Great job! Setting up screens throughout the restaurant was a mighty fine idea, considering it was a packed house. We can’t wait until the next one on Feb. 25. …

The inventive kids from the Mammoth Ski and Snowboard Team did a nice little video to send along to our people in Sochi. Charming as all get-out. …

Our crack team of fact checkers is trying to chase down the rumors that the Sochi Olympic organizers, led by Ivan Eastmanesko, feel slighted by the Mono County Board of Supervisors for not ponying up more dough to pay for the fireworks during the Opening Ceremonies. …

True Fact: Overheard on the lifts this week: “All that water they’re using to make snow on the Mountain comes from L.A.” …

Check out our new Dining Guide on page 27! This new feature will be included in every issue of the Mammoth Times and will highlight places to dine and quaff in the Eastern Sierra, year round. …

That was Byng Hunt, looking well-rested and in fine fettle this week after spending five days in Death Valley (better than it sounds) for his birthday. …

Happy Barkday, meanwhile, to two of our own Newshounds, Fido (6) and Sir Jasper (5)! ...

On Monday, Feb. 3, work stopped in a Dust Control Area of the Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Project. This work was stopped by Kathy Bancroft, the Tribal Monitor on site and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer representing the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Reservation. The site in question contains thousands of artifacts from various prehistoric and historic times, and includes the site of a massacre of native people, which happened at the hands of U.S. military out of Ft. Independence. This site is sacred to the Paiute Shoshone, and qualifies as a Traditional Cultural Property through the Department of the Interior. …

We keep hearing good things happening at the Underground at The Village, and this week is no different. A local resident wrote to us this week: “This past Monday (the 10th) Spencer and Amanda Myers, of the Peacoats, blew the roof off with their Indie hits and original songs. I didn’t think anyone could sing “Royals” any better than Lorde, but Amanda could win The Voice with this one.” …

The Metabolic Studio is hosting Conversations About Water during the Centenary of the L.A. Aqueduct. Join Julie Fought on a walking tour of De La Cour Ranch and learn how mitigating fire threat and maintaining native habitat provides an eco-farm with food production and fuels a large-scale composting operation. Check it out Saturday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m., at De La Cour Ranch, 5000 Horseshoe Meadow Rd., in metropolitan Lone Pine. …

It’s there if you need it. Food Pantry, Salvation Army, in Mammoth, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, 220 Sierra Manor Road next to Higerd Plumbing, no questions asked. If anyone has food to spare, drop some by or contact the Inyo Mono Advocates for Community Action at 760-873-8557. Short hours and layoffs are hurting a lot of people and food banks all over town are running low. …

Snowmobiler alert! Snowmobile Heaven, aka The Bridgeport Winter Recreation Area near Sonora Pass, opened this week for the first time this winter, with about five feet of new snow. Access is a bit tricky, however, since the lowest elevation of the road, just past the “People’s Gate,” and up a short distance until about 7,700 feet, according to Adrianne Thatcher, the recreation officer for the Bridgeport Ranger District. But after that, the snow is great. Be careful of avalanches, though, which are common in the area and could be even more likely after the last storm dumped a heavy wet layer of snow on top of a thin, lighter crust. In fact, Thatcher and a few avalanche experts will start offering avy training just for snowmobilers, beginning Feb. 28, including some intensive field training. Keep an eye out in next week’s paper for more on this. ...

Happy Presidents Day to all of our presidents. (Meh). More important, Happy Valentine’s Day to all of our readers. We love you.